


For First Time Lovers

by patriciaselina



Series: We Got Married [1]
Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boy Band, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Alternate Universe - Idols, Crush at First Sight, Fake Marriage, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Meetings, Future Fic, M/M, Musicians, Samezuka!Rei, Showmance, We Got Married AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-25
Updated: 2014-08-25
Packaged: 2018-02-14 14:14:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2194845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/patriciaselina/pseuds/patriciaselina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rei Ryugazaki, member of a popular dance-pop band, gets virtually engaged and married to Nagisa Hazuki, the older leader of a famous pop-rock band, for the purposes of a reality TV show. When the only thing the script has to tell you, aside from a sporadically-arranged schedule of ‘missions’, is to ‘<em>be yourself</em>’, how out-of-bounds would it be if they were to fall in love <em>for real</em>?</p><p>(Reigisa We Got Married AU, based on the YongSeo couple.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	For First Time Lovers

**Author's Note:**

> The boys address each other differently because, for the purposes of this AU, this is how they’re grouped by age:
> 
> Nagisa’s group: Nagisa (21~22), Haru (20~21), Mako (20~21), Rin (20) >> Take note that nobody in the group calls Nagisa “- _senpai_ ”, or with honorifics, actually, because Nagisa had once half-jokingly refused to be called with anything but “- _chan_ ”. The _yobisute_ stuck.
> 
> Rei’s group: Sousuke (21~22), Ai (20), Rei (19~20), Momo (18~19)
> 
> Two ages in parenthesis means that by the time of happening of Chapter 1 (around February?), they haven’t had their birthday yet. [More details about this can be found in this Tumblr post](http://patriciaselina.tumblr.com/post/95261852791/liner-notes-for-my-reigisa-wgm-au).
> 
> I’m also still looking for names for the boys’ groups! Nagisa’s group is a pop-rock band based off the Korean boy band _CNBLUE_ , and Rei’s group is an idol group focusing on dance-pop-rock riffs, like _Super Junior_. (Or alternatively, _Big Bang_??) I settled with not naming either group for now, but the tentative placeholder band names are _NEO BLUE_ for Nagisa’s group and _SPLASH FREE_ for Rei’s, but I am aware that I need better names and [am open to your suggestions](http://patriciaselina.tumblr.com/ask)!!
> 
> Title comes from the remastered version of the [YongSeo](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YongSeo) couple’s _[Banmal Song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMKo4XTTLMI)_ , which was then retitled _[For First Time Lovers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4U0L1tT1yU)_.

The thing that bothers Rei the most about this situation is that, unlike paparazzo and fervent fans, there’s really no protocol-specified way to deal with it.

“I have to confession to make…Sousuke- _senpai_ , Aiichirou- _senpai_.” That sentence was supposed to end with ‘… _and Momotarou-kun_ ’, only, as the youngest member of their group is currently sleeping (and drooling) on Aiichirou’s shoulder, Rei thinks it unnecessary to address him as well.

“Rei-kun, I keep telling you, there’s no need for you to call me a _senpai_.” Aiichirou sighs, while he gently-not-so-gently pokes Momotarou in the cheek with an annoyed finger. Momotarou – who’d taken to introducing himself as ‘Momo’ ever since their debut – had been sleeping like the dead from the moment they had waved goodbye to the fans and their van door had slid closed.

Aiichirou’s shoulder has since grown numb, and, though the silver-haired man doesn’t see it, Sousuke’s own shoulder twinges in sympathy. Just last week it had been _his_ shoulder subjected to Momo’s excessive sleeping habits. Next week it would be Rei's turn. Share the misery and all that.

“We’ve known each other for _years_ , and we’re not in school anymore, so you don’t have to do that.”

“But still,” Rei insists, grabbing the loose end of the conversation detour, if only to distract himself from his original purpose. “You are still my _senpai_ , and as such still should be referred to with utmost respect –”

“However, like I keep saying, _Rei-kun_ –”

“I say let him be, Aiichirou.” Sousuke says, offhandedly, flipping through another page on his Kindle. He always does an impressive job of pretending he isn’t actually listening. “That’s how Rei always is. It’s kinda cute.”

Rei’s cheeks most definitely do _not_ grow red at the sudden compliment. “Sousuke- _senpai_ –”

“He is, isn’t he?” Aiichirou nods sagely, pretending not to notice how Rei’s cheeks are currently a nice warm red color. “You’d think _he_ was the youngest and not Momo-kun. He’s got more than enough _moe_ going for him.”

“Too much _moe_ , in fact. I daresay we might end up getting complaints for his possession of illegal quantities of _moe_ anytime soon.” Sousuke nods, just as sagely.

Sometimes (which is to say, most of the time), they tag-team Rei like this and he turns into an embarrassing blushy mush of emotions – it’s a favorite hobby of theirs, especially because Rei is just _so easy to tease_.

“But let’s worry about that later. What were you gonna say, Rei?”

“Oh, right! You had something to tell us, right?” Aiichirou says, eyes bright and shining, not knowing that the flush that now formed on Rei’s face had now morphed from being one of embarrassment to one of distress. “What is it, Rei-kun?”

Rei takes the time to remind himself that his name is Rei Ryugazaki, an actual member of this popular Japanese idol band, and he’s been front-and-center of too many tours and photo shoots than he could ever possibly count. And as such he should definitely _not_ be the least bit scared of spilling the beans right now.

He braces himself, squares his shoulders, and clears his throat, his voice echoing in the van, bouncing off the seconds of silence in between Momo’s snoring – “Right. I do have something I need to tell you.”

“What is it, Rei-kun?” Aiichirou asks, seeing Rei’s quivering lower lip and assuming the worst. “Is something the matter?”

“N-no, not exactly.” Rei mumbles, pushing up his glasses worriedly. How was he supposed to say this? Rather, _why_ was he supposed to be the one to say this? Couldn’t someone else _please_ do the job for him? Drop off a handy little letter or something? “It’s just that, well. Um. I seem to have procured for myself a...” He trails off, before saying in a meek little voice, “... _boyfriend_.”

Only Rei could make what was supposed to be an emotional confession sound drier than the Tottori sand dunes. It’s one of his biggest quirks. That, and his ridiculously specific taste in fashion. Fans love that about him, his constant ping-pong battle between coolness and passion. They eat it all up.

“ _Thank goodness_!”

As it turns out, though, their youngest member has not been as asleep or out of it as they had thought he was, because all of a sudden Momotarou pipes up, a clenched fist raised heavenward, his eyes scrunched shut in excitement. “I _prayed_ this would happen. _Finally_ , our Reicchin got himself a love life!”

It only strikes them that there is something _totally weird_ with this situation when Rei doesn’t even comment on Momo’s choice of address. He _really doesn’t like_ being called ‘Reicchin’. “And that’s not all. I – I am actually stated to _live_ with him.”

This is where Aiichirou’s eyebrows scrunch up in worry, though. (Sousuke’s too, but he does a spectacular job at not letting his concern show.) “Ehh, so soon? But isn’t this moving way too fast, Rei-kun?”

“No, I don’t _suppose we are_?” Rei says, though the facts that his voice keened to a higher pitch, and that his flushed face matches _perfectly_ with his red glasses, are both working against him.

This is where Sousuke finally puts two and two together, however. “Ahh. You got into WGM, didn’t you?”

“I –” Rei thought that having the truth out in the open would make this whole thing feel less damned awkward. He was wrong. “I – well. I mean, yes. Yes, I did, Sousuke- _senpai_.”

“Okay.” Sousuke says, nodding and observing and hoping that their youngest wouldn’t turn into a human-shaped tomato permanently. “I wish you get paired up with someone you like and get along with.”

“T–thank you, Sousuke- _senpai_.”

“Aw, Sousuke- _senpai_ , why’d you have to ruin it? I was having fun imagining Rei- _nii_ getting _actually_ married!” Momo wails, huffing ineffectively at Sousuke, who just shrugs and flips another page of his Kindle. Seriously though, he should just switch it off – pretending to read this thing is getting kinda old. By now they pretty much know he pays too much attention already.

“So you knew that the network was casting half a couple from us, Sousuke- _senpai_?” Aiichirou asks, one eyebrow raised rather _skeptically_.

“Well – actually,” Sousuke admits, scratching the nape of his neck and trying _very hard_ not to blush red like Rei had not so long ago, “ _Rin_ and I were supposed to be the couple.”

“Ah,” Rei exclaims, eyes blown wide in shock. “I never thought Rin- _senpai_ would be interested in reality shows.”

“Yeah, he isn’t. Said he’d _be_ interested if _I_ struggled through with him, though.”

Rin was an old friend of the group, way back from their high school days, and Sousuke’s grade school ones. He was – still _is_ – Sousuke’s best friend. They all went to Samezuka Academy together, and Rin was supposed to debut as a member of their group.

But then some old friends of Rin’s from Iwatobi asked for his help for their own band. His departure had been sudden, but they were first and foremost Rin’s friends and knew full well his reasons – that, despite Rin’s dance talents and killer choreography, he’d wanted to _play_ music in a band like his father before him. They’d taken his departure gracefully.

Well. Most of them did. Sousuke still had very abhorrent and _very_ violent reactions to the idea of _Haruka Nanase_. Under his Kindle, Sousuke faintly links his hands together and thinks in one looping refrain: _Please don’t let Rei interact too much with Nanase **please**_ **.**

Sousuke thinks it best that no one know he thinks of this. Most of all _Rin_. He’d never live it down for sure.

“That would’ve been a good team-up, Sousuke- _senpai_!” Aiichirou says, smiling sunnily. “Why didn’t your coupling happen, though?”

“I don’t _know_ ,” Sousuke says. But when he’s sure Rei isn’t looking, he cups a hand in front of his face and mouths the words _they wanted to see more of Rei’s moe_ to his younger band mate. Aiichirou barely stifles a giggle behind one of his hands, and claps the other over Momo’s mouth, which had been open and poised to guffaw.

“It’s too bad, Rin- _senpai_ and Sousuke- _senpai_ would’ve been so good together,” Rei says, shaking his head. “You’ve known each other for quite a long time already; you wouldn’t even have to _pretend_ to be comfortable around each other.”

“Well, they’ve got you now, so I advise you just do your best and make the most out of it.” Sousuke says, ruffling Rei’s hair like he’d seen Rin do countless times before. It’s an out-of-character thing for him to do, but there’s a grateful look on Rei’s face that makes it all worth it.

“So,” Aiichirou says, cocking his head and smiling softly, “When are we gonna meet this man, Rei-kun?”

“Today, actually. They said he’ll be waiting for us at the lobby when we get back.”

“Hmm. I think it’s more fun if we _don’t_ go with you.”

“ _Momo-kun!_ ” “ _Momotarou-kun!_ ” (Mentally Sousuke also half-yells, half-shrieks “ _Momo!_ ” but he settles for glaring at the younger man very intensely instead.)

“Whaaaat? Aw, c’mon, _surely_ Rei- _nii_ could spend an _entire day_ without, what, Aiicchi- _senpai_ mother-henning him and Sousuke- _senpai_ doing…well, _that_ , to everyone he does as much as say _hello_ to…you’re both _so_ embarrassing, you spoil him too much!”

“You know, Momo,” Sousuke says, smoothly, trying not to look so obviously aware that what Momo had said had been nothing less than the _truth_ , “If you were jealous, all you had to do was _ask_.”

“What? I – I was _not_ –”

“But you _were_.”

“Now, now, Sousuke- _senpai_ , Momo-kun! Please calm down.” Aiichirou says, both hands raised in placation. What had Rin told him about this? Ahh, yes – _Ai, your life in this group is suffering and I have no clue how you live with it_.

 _Coffee and prayers, Rin-senpai_ , Aiichirou thinks. _Coffee and prayers_.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Anyway!” Momo pipes up again, directing his attention to Rei, who had since pressed his hands together and seemed to be doing breathing exercises with his eyes closed. “Rei- _nii_ , here’s what you’re gonna do…”

As Momo goes about explaining his plan, there is one thing, exactly one thing, that Rei is absolutely sure of: it’s going to be one _very long_ night.

* * *

 

They’re so used to having cameras around there that, right now, it’s so easy for them to forget that they’re even there. Occupational hazard of being so damned popular.

“Which one is he, what do you think?” A young man asks, his blond head popping over the receptionist’s abandoned desk. “Rin-Rin?”

“I rue the day you called me that ridiculous nickname.” It was just his luck, Rin had told Nagisa before, that the fangirls thought the nickname was cute. His rotten, rotten luck. “And nah, I dunno. He can be anyone, and as far as I know your choices are pretty broad. Go on, take a look.”

The glass door opens, showing a person with a face only a mother could love.

 “Oh, God, please, _no_.” Nagisa grumbles, as Rin laughs and Haru muffles a soft chuckle behind a weird coughing-choking sound. “Yeah, laugh it off, you two. Let’s see you guys in my shoes, see if you’re not scared at your wits’ end too...”

Makoto’s so close to Nagisa, his large frame huddled awkwardly, snugly, in between the three boys under the desk, and he swears he could actually hear when the alarm bells rang in Nagisa’s head. Then he turns to Makoto with a large smile on his face.

Makoto just _knows_ , deep in the marrow of his bones, that this is _not_ spelling out good things for his future.

“Ma-ko- _chan_ ~” Nagisa croons, smooth and sugary-sweet as the girl pop group member he could easily be mistaken as, “Can you help me?”

Now, Makoto’s normally a helpful person, but something about the way Nagisa is looking at him right now makes him want to dig a hole in the ground, live there, and never go back up ‘til the end of civilization. Or ‘til Nagisa learns to fight his own battles. Whichever comes last.

“ _No_ , Nagisa.”

“Aw, but I _insist_.” Nagisa smiles, giving Makoto the puppy-dog stare that he knows has grown to be the brunet’s weakness. “You’re gonna stand there, wait around, and pretend that you’re the husband.”

“ _Ehh_??”

“Just do it, Mako-chan. For me? _Please_?”

Nagisa was supposed to follow that up with a thinly-veiled threat on the health and safety of Makoto’s most treasured fluffy white cat, but when Makoto sighs deeply like that he just _knows_ he doesn’t have to. “Alright, alright. But you’ve gotta tell him the truth too, Nagisa.”

And that’s how all six feet of Makoto eventually get out of the cramped underside of the desk and end up leaning against a post, waiting for Nagisa’s partner to arrive. Makoto loves all his friends, especially the three of them who also happen to be his band mates, but this is one of the times where he wishes he loves Nagisa _less_.

“I don’t _like_ this plan,” Haru grumbles, frowning, as Makoto stifles a yawn with the back of his hand, flopping down onto a nearby chair. “Why don’t you just meet him _yourself_ , Nagisa?”

“You’re just saying that ‘cuz it’s Mako-chan and _you_ like him so you don’t want him to be paired up, Haru-chan.” Nagisa insists, legs growing weak and shaky with how long they’ve been crouching. “But trust me, if it was either of you guys, I’d do the same thing for you, too.”

“You wouldn’t.” Haru deadpans.

“Nah, he wouldn’t.” Rin agrees, shaking his head vigorously.

“Geez, what’s with you two? Don’t you have any faith in your awesome leader!?”

“None at all.”

“Nope.”

“ _I hate you both_!” Nagisa whisper-yells, and both Haru and Rin, the little traitors, just hang onto each other and _laugh_.

Nagisa’s about to bite back with another snappy remark about how Rin _still_ can’t sleep without his pillow and Haru’s first crush had been a _waterfall_ , that Nagisa’s actually, _really_ , the _only_ mature guy here, but then, just then, the door opens.

Then, Nagisa sees _him_.

And Nagisa sees everything and nothing all at once.

“Ooh, isn’t that _Rei_?” Rin says, squinting. “Man, Sousuke’s dress sense is rubbing off of him nicely.”

Nagisa realizes that he can’t comment on anything, or ask Rin if the Sousuke he means is the Sousuke who is the leader of his former group, the one who Rin drunkenly confessed he wanted to marry when they were in grade school, because right now all he sees is the tall man with the red-framed glasses and the immaculately-pressed getup – _Rei_ , apparently, what a pretty name – and Nagisa’s heart is running a marathon in his chest. He can’t help but think – _is this what I think it is_?

 ** _Please_** _let this be what I think it is_.

“Excuse me,” the man says, approaching Makoto with flushed cheeks so adorable Nagisa thinks they should be illegal. “But are you – um, well? Err, I’m Rei Ryugazaki, and I’m supposed to be meeting up with someone…”

“Makoto Tachibana, it’s nice to meet you too, Ryugazaki-kun.” Makoto says, smiling and standing up from his awkward sitting position to shake Rei’s offered hand, causing a flare of something white-hot and _painful_ to sear through Nagisa’s chest. _What the hell is this I’m feeling? Whatever. Let go of his hand **now** , Mako-chan_.

“Yanno, you _really_ should’ve met him yourself, Nagisa.” Rin says, clicking his tongue once, twice. For all that Nagisa’s a full year older than them and is rightfully supposed to be their _senpai_ , sometimes ( _most_ of the time) he acts like _such_ a kid. “That way, poor little Mako would’ve been spared from your clichéd jealousy.”

“I am _not_ –”

“But you _are_ ,” Haru deadpans, his clear blue eyes looking straight into the depths of Nagisa’s soul. (And most probably _laughing_ at what he finds.) “You’re being _ridiculous_ , Nagisa.”

“Whatever,” Nagisa huffs, sniffing and trying _not_ to glare daggers at their band’s totally clueless and innocent bassist – Makoto _was_ just working on Nagisa’s orders, after all. It’s not Makoto’s fault that Rei’s laughing merrily along to something he said and looks so damned _comfortable_ around him. Even if Nagisa feels that it _should_ be. “Anyway, it’s time for us to make our appearance.”

When Nagisa stands up, says “Congratulations on the engagement!!” and unintentionally-purposefully beans Makoto in the back of the head with a party popper, Rin sighs at their self-proclaimed leader and his childishness. Haru mainly assesses the amount of damage inflicted on Makoto (he _yelped_ , and Nagisa doesn’t exactly have the gentlest of touches), glares at Nagisa, and murmurs mantras under his breath.

“Ah, thank you?” Rei blurts out, still distracted by the prospect of confetti in his hair to realize the blond man that had approached him until he takes both of Rei’s hands in his. “Err, um?”

 _Wow_ , Rei thinks, _I’m being **really** eloquent today_.

“I’m Nagisa!” the blond says, his hands wrapped around Rei’s, which are oh so very warm oh _crap_ why did he do this when after doing this he doesn’t ever wanna let go and that’s gonna make filming and eating and working and _living_ terribly awkward for both of them. “This is Haru-chan, and Rin-chan, and you’ve met Mako-chan, ne?”

“Mm, I’ve met Makoto- _senpai_ before.” Of _course_ he had, after all, Makoto sometimes came along when Rin did his weekly visits with Sousuke. The two men had seemingly got along for the most part, except for when it came to Haruka Nanase. “And I am to assume that, right now, he is my…?”

 _Oh gosh, Rei, why can you not even say it out loud_ , Rei thinks, berating himself.

He also finds himself thinking that this ‘Nagisa’ has very beautiful eyes, burgundy and lilac and sunshine put all together, and decides to stow away that thought for later.

“Yup!” Nagisa lies, cheerfully, but it’s the small tug he makes on Rei’s hand that gives him completely away. Rin notices this, and snickers. It’s so hilarious and _really_ worth the glare that Nagisa shoots him over his shoulder.

This is where Rei notices him, though, unconsciously letting go of Nagisa’s grip to walk to him. “Rin- _senpai_! You’re here!”

“Of _course_ I am, Rei. You _are_ sorta-engaged to one of my band mates, after all.” Rin says, ruffling the younger man’s hair and pretending he doesn’t hear the whispered exchange happening beside them.

(“Haru-chan, Rin-chan’s _stealing_ him.” “Nagisa, he _won’t_. Just tell Ryugazaki the truth.” “…”)

It’s not like their selfie-loving, microphone-hogging, fan-pandering leader to look and sound so insecure about himself. So Rin decides to take matters in his own hands and prove to Nagisa a little thing – a thing that he noticed earlier, when Rei had looked at Nagisa’s brightly smiling face and blushed beet red.

“Naa, Rei. Riddle me this, hm?”

“What is it, Rin-san?”

“Let’s just say that Makoto here isn’t your husband,” _Cuz he **reaaally** isn’t_ , Rin appends mentally. “Of the four of us, which one would you choose to marry?”

“I…err, Rin- _senpai_ … _what???_ ”

Normally, Rin thinks, Rei had the good grace to not be a babbling mess where people can see him. But then again, this _is_ his first relationship here. Scripted or otherwise.

“C’mon, Rei. Just humor me.” Rin says, slinging an arm around Rei’s shoulder even as Nagisa _still_ glares daggers at him. “No hard feelings. If you want, we’ll all close our eyes so we won’t see you while you choose. Just tap them on the hand.”

Exactly nobody is surprised when Rei ends up weakly, shyly, pinching a finger of Nagisa’s with two of his. Well, nobody, except Nagisa _himself_ , who comes away stuttering and making a very good portrayal of Makoto’s pet goldfish.

 _So **that’s** what he looks when he’s faced with someone he likes_, Rin thinks, grinning widely and covertly snapping a picture of the two men’s flushed faces to send to Sousuke later. _Cute._

“My apologies, Makoto- _senpai_!” Rei says, and conveniently does not say that, aside from the fact that he had been inexplicably drawn to Nagisa Hazuki, for some reason, he had also taken into consideration the dagger looks Haruka Nanase kept throwing him.

“No, Ryugazaki-kun, it’s fine. Besides…why don’t _you_ tell him, Nagisa?”

“…”

“ _Nagisa_?”

“…”

Nagisa has since found himself in a higher plane of existence where Nirvana consists of inimitably handsome Rei Ryugazaki choosing _him_ over elegant Haru and charming Makoto and flirtatious Rin, and as such doesn’t seem to find much reason in doing lesser things than listening, or speaking, or even _breathing_. That is, of course, until Rei _himself_ gets into his line of sight…

“Hazuki-san, are you okay?”

“ _Please call me Nagisa!!_ ” Nagisa finds himself blurting out, looking Rei dead in the eye for added emphasis.

“Hazuki-…san?”

“I said, well, haha, _please_ call me Nagisa!” Nagisa repeats, tucking a lock of hair shyly behind his ear, before barreling through his sudden shyness with a wide grin and a bright voice. He knows that Haru and Rin are looking at him strangely, and that he’s never gonna live this down. He doesn’t care. “It’ll be good for us to be more familiar with each other…well, especially since _I’m_ your husband, and all.”

“It wouldn’t seem right for me to, though,” Rei says, his cheeks bright electric pink, and Rin finds it _absolutely ridiculous_ how Nagisa ever even had a doubt that _he_ was the one that Rei was definitely interested in. Totally ridiculous, the both of them. Rin thinks that having those two together would _definitely_ make for very _interesting_ television. “We’ve only just met and all, Hazuki-san. It wouldn’t be polite of me to address you as such, and…well, we’re not exactly close.”

“Give it up, Nagisa.” Rin drawls, casually slinging an arm each around Haru and Makoto, who had both been watching the two normally-confident, super-popular performers blush and blabber around each other like cute little baby ducklings. “It took him a year – _a full year!_ – to call me anything other than ‘ _Matsuoka-buchou_ ’. Just ‘cuz I was swim club captain when he transferred into Samezuka. You’d be lucky if he calls you by your first name sometime this _century_.”

With those puffed-up cheeks of his Nagisa seems like he’s doing a really good award-winning impersonation of a blowfish right about now, and Rin’s almost tempted to actually make a trophy to give him, it’s just that ridiculous. How do the fans delude themselves into thinking they’re such cool guys, when they’re all so dorky it makes Rin want to cry every time.

“Hmph. Whatever.” Nagisa says, shooing them away with both his hands. “Now leave. You’re overstaying your welcome, guys! Now leave! I want my alone time with Rei-chan _now_.”

It’s only when the three other men leave, laughing and giving Rei reassuring shoulder pats and not-so-reassuring words (“Nagisa’s always a handful…take care of yourself, Ryugazaki-kun!” “Nagisa’s always been this tedious. Feed him mackerel if he doesn’t shut up.” “Rei, if Nagisa messes with your head, call me and I’ll take care of him. Me, _not_ Sousuke. We want Nagisa _stopped_ , not _flung off a cliffside_.”) when Rei realizes how Nagisa had just addressed him as.

“ _Rei-chan???_ ”

“What? I address everyone I know with ‘ _-chan_ ’.” _Everyone I know and **like**_ , Nagisa thinks, but he thinks that much should be obvious already. “So I think it’s only fair that you call me ‘Nagisa’, too.”

“But – like I said, Hazuki-san…we’re not that close.” Rei mumbles, sounding as if he definitely regretted that their reality was not the contrary, which does _not_ make Nagisa’s already illegally-speeding heart rate jump up a few notches on the meter, nope, it does _not_.

“We aren’t, yeah.” Nagisa says, smiling softly. “Aren’t _yet_. But we will be, somewhere along the line. So I think you better get used to it, Rei-chan.”

“If you’re…absolutely certain, truly certain that you want me to refer to you as such…”

“Rei-chan,” Nagisa says, trying not to gag on the impossible and embarrassing amount of fondness that had found itself in his tone, “I couldn’t be any less certain that I want to hear you say my name, not even if I tried.”

He didn’t mean for that to sound so intensely _desperate_ , like some main character from a popular soap, Nagisa probably didn’t, and so Rei should probably not be thinking too much about it. _Cameras, right. Hazuki-san’s always been so charming, he’s probably just making sure I don’t mess this up for the cameras. Better play along, then_.

What Rei doesn’t know is, when he squares his shoulders, takes a deep breath, and mutters out “Nagisa…- _san_ ,” in such a small adorable voice, the smile that lights up Nagisa’s entire face _definitely_ has nothing to do with the cameras.

In fact, Nagisa had _completely_ forgotten that there were cameras on them in the first place.

All he remembers right now is the flush on Rei Ryugazaki’s face when the syllables of his name – his _proper_ name – fall off his lips, and how he wants to see it in action for a very, _very_ long time.

* * *

 

“… _butterflies_.”

“What was that, Rei-chan?”

“I, well, um. I really like butterflies, Nagisa-san.” Rei mutters, pushing up his glasses, his cheeks matching his frames in color and brilliance. “What about you?”

“Hm, I like penguins better, though.” Nagisa says, walking on, seemingly ignorant to the full-body flush his companion seems to be sporting right now. “But now that you ask me, I think butterflies are pretty cute! Why’d you ask?”

“N-no reason.”

 _You better be watching this, Momotarou-kun_ , Rei thinks, willing his heart to stop overspeeding.

* * *

 

It’s when Rei asks him later over late-night _yakitori_ , completely seriously, what the difference between ‘ _loving’_ and ‘ _liking’_ is that Nagisa remembers he is a full _two years_ older than Rei and that Rei, blessed little adorable workaholic he is, has not actually been in a romantic relationship of any shape or form yet.

Well, Nagisa hasn’t either. But he’s the older one, and he reads a lot of the romcom manga that Rin very poorly hides in a box under his bed, so he’s not _totally_ clueless about the thing, of that he’s sure. So he sees Rei in all his adorable fidgeting and averting his gaze and realizes: _wedding bells after the first sorta-date does **not** seem like a good idea…_ even though it’d be worth it, _totally_ worth it, if only to see handsome Rei wearing a handsome tux.

(Didn’t Rei’s group have that promotional photo shoot with the tuxedos? Nagisa makes a mental note to ask Rin if he has copies of those when he comes home. Also makes sure to brush up on his tried-and-tested Rin-Rin negotiation techniques.)

“Rei-chan, what do you say we start dating first?”

“Pardon?”

“Well, you said it yourself, didn’t you? We’re not that close.” _Yet_ , Nagisa’s mind appends gleefully, _not **yet** , but hopefully soon-!_ “And neither of us have been in a relationship yet, rushing into marriage doesn’t seem to be a thing we can do at this point. Why don’t we just start dating first, and see where that leads? We’ll be like some…pre-married…before-married?...something, couple…”

“An engaged couple, you mean, Nagisa-san.”

“Um, yeah, engaged couple, right.” Damn those deep purple eyes and how every time they look at Nagisa shyly it makes him almost drop his tea. Nagisa has no clue how he is expected to handle this and still act as cool as people think he is. “Mm. We’ll be an engaged couple first, and then, when we’re more comfy ‘round each other, that’s when we’ll be an actual married couple, with the living-together bit and all. Does that sound good for you, Rei-chan?”

“Yes, actually, yes it does.” Rei hadn’t watched this show before – hadn’t done much watching of _any_ television show before, in fact, what with his busy schedule of work and college and everything else – but as far as he knew the entire premise of the show was to put two celebrities who knew little of each other beforehand, put them in the same house, and left cameras to see what happens.

For him to end up being paired with someone that Rei, for some reason, actually really liked, and for that said person to be so considerate as to take his and Rei’s romantic inexperience in mind and change their premise entirely – surely there would be no better word to describe Rei’s predicament right now, other than ‘ _lucky’_?

“Nagisa-san…thank you. I would like that very much.”

Rei just looks so _devastatingly earnest_ that, more than anything else, Nagisa wants to stand up and hug him across this damned table, or lean over and kiss him on those lovely lips, but he knows more than anything else that doing either would only be counterproductive.

Nagisa also knows that Rin talks about his Samezuka friends a lot, and that he vaguely remembers hearing that Rei had a very healthy, very specific sleep schedule, and having him stay awake later than his sleep time so Nagisa could gaze at him longingly as he sipped his tea was not going to do either of them any favors. So, despite the recent, distractingly longing ache in his bones that wants to hold on to Rei and never let him go, Nagisa smiles and says,

“Where should we go next week, then, Rei-chan? For our first date.”

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so, liner notes!!
> 
> Seohyun, the SNSD half of the YongSeo couple, whose part Rei is more-or-less playing here, always speaks politely, and her unfailing use of formal speech on her virtual husband Yonghwa is a big plot point for the two of them. As Rei already speaks _keigo_ and uses textbook-perfect honorifics, this was just too easy to superimpose on them.
> 
> Samezuka!Rei is a weakness of mine, okay? Okay.
> 
> The Samezuka boys talking about Rei's moe is supposed to be the Japanese version of them talking about his aegyo. Seohyun from the original is SNSD's _maknae_ (youngest member), and though she isn't their group's _aegyo_ queen (that was Sunny, I think???), I thought it fun to make Rei the _moe_ king, haha.
> 
> Ai-chan is team mom because in Free! s1 the _seiyuu_ 's audio commentary said that he played the ' _wife role in Samezuka_ '. Between him and the butterfly parents Rin-mama and Papasuke, Rei's got more than enough nurturing to go around.
> 
> Do not even talk to me about Sousuke's shoulder. Please. Do _not_. /sobs grossly/ He was originally supposed to have swimmer's shoulder in this AU, too, only he's lead dancer here and that's also taxing and really depressing?? So yeah, don't.
> 
> On the other hand, Nagisa is his group's leader, and their _moe_ king. Too cute so cute. Like Yonghwa, he looks cool when he's performing, but in the tradition of Yong- _choding_ , IRL Nagisa acts like such a baby, to the consternation and amusement of the people around him.
> 
> Makoto acts as a stand-in for Nagisa, just like what Jungshin did for Yonghwa! Mako's also the tallest of the group, and Nagisa's the shortest, just like in the original.
> 
> Rei randomly asking Nagisa about butterflies is actually a code, and it's the one that Momo tells him as the Samezuka group scene fades to black. In the original, the SNSD  _unnies_ tell Seohyun to broadcast in code whether or not she likes her 'husband' by screaming (??) either "sweet potatoes" ( _goguma_ , Seohyun's favorite food and their couple's eventual trademark) or "hamburgers" (Seohyun's pet peeve).
> 
> In this iteration Momo tells Rei to say either " **butterfly** " or " **stag beetle** ". (The choices were originally "stage beetle" or "frog" since, let's face it, this is  _Momo_ , only Ai was all like " _WHICH ONE OF THOSE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE GOOD ONE, MOMO-KUN????_ " so he relented.) __  
> So, yes, Rei _does_ like Nagisa. Nagisa also likes him back. In other news, water is wet and Haru loves mackerel.
> 
> The YongSeo couple was also the first WGM couple who started dating before getting married. This is because Seohyun had not been in a relationship ever, and Yonghwa, who  _had_ been in a relationship before, wants her to experience the whole nine yards before they got fake-married. In this iteration I made them each other's first boyfriend because - well, I don't know. I just thought it fun if Nagisa were to get his romance inspiration from Rin's badly-hidden _shoujo_ manga stash. (Though that _does_ explain why he'll pull that "push-and-pull" schtick halfway through...)
> 
> Wow, so many notes! Hopefully I didn't bore you there. If there's anything more that puzzles you about this feel free to ask! I hope you like this, and I also hope you don't mind the (inevitably long) wait for chapter two!!
> 
>  


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